Dyson to build electric car in Singapore, aiming at China

Dyson, the British company best known for vacuum cleaners and prized hair dryers, said Tuesday it will build its new electric car in Singapore as it joins the increasingly crowded race to create the next generation of clean vehicles.

The bespoke manufacturing facility is due for completion in 2020 and is part of a $3.2 billion investment in new technology globally.

Dyson did not say what kind of a car it hoped to produce, or how many a year. But it is set to at least try to get a foothold in the electric car industry, where visionaries like Elon Musk at Tesla have struggled to translate ideas into profits.

Other car makers also are ramping up their investments in electric cars, but there’s no clear front-runner in the field, said David Bailey, a professor of industrial strategy at Aston Business School.

Bailey guessed that Dyson would shoot for a premium product—aiming at Tesla, BMW or Jaguar. Given Tesla’s challenges, it is likely to not be simple—particularly since Dyson doesn’t have the infrastructure other carmakers do, he said.

“I do think they underestimate the scale of the challenge,” he said.

The location in Singapore would put Dyson close to the big and growing Chinese market, where carmakers are increasingly focusing sales. The country is preparing a big shift to electric cars to fight its heavy levels of pollution and to modernize the economy.

But tapping the Chinese market can be difficult. Tesla signed an agreement to secure land in Shanghai for its first factory outside the United States only last week. BMW took a majority stake in its China joint venture earlier this month. General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and Nissan Motor Corp. are also pouring billions into making electric vehicles in China.

“Dyson is one of the new players in a profoundly changed market,” Bailey said. “The race is on.”